I recently read an article in which the author was expounding on what she thought were inconsistencies in the Objectivist philosphy of Ayn Rand. There were many comments and one that caught my attention stated that much less harm has been done by people pursuing the ideals of objectivsm than those who have pursued the “saving of souls.” That would only be true if there’s nothing but the grave after one dies. If, however, there is life after death then the saving of souls would surely be preeminent.
It really kind of irritated me and while I don’t agree with the statement I understand where it’s coming from as more than a few hold the belief that many wars and inhumane acts have been perpetrated against mankind in the name of “Religion”. (all wars are money wars by the way) And while Objectivists claim that truth is outside the mind and not dependent upon one’s opinion, as it were, they equate religion as subjective. I would not disagree entirely with that point as I also believe that all religion is man-made with the exception of the religion of the Jews.
Let me clarify what I mean by “religion of the Jews”. I’m not talking about Judaism modern or ancient but rather, I’m talking about the “Old Testament” or Old Covenant, the agreement that Israel made with God. Since God was the author of the Covenant it did not come from the mind of man and I would therefore argue that it is the only true religion that has ever existed. However, God made an end of that Old Testament when he instituted a new Covenant with Israel, referred to has the New Testament. That being said the New Testament was not fully instituted as the nation, as a whole, rejected her Messiah and so it is being held in abeyance to be resumed at a later date.
So that being said, you could say that, no true religion exists today according to the Bible but unfortunately that information has been obfuscated throughout the centuries by those to whom the truth is better hidden in order that they might gain power, wealth and position and if you espouse that we have been set free from the law and that it no longer has power over us — well that just doesn’t fit into the plans of the propagators of religion-dom.
I’m not going to argue here as to whether or not the Bible is what it claims to be, the very Word of God. It’s veracity as a historical record has been proven many times and an objective investigation will ultimately lead to that conclusion as it has for more than a few honest skeptics.
However I would like to point out what, to me, is a fallacy with regard to so called Science. You see, it is not a question of evidence but it is a question of what evidence are you willing to accept. For example, main-stream science refuses to accept the very clear evidence of a catastrophic global flood even though we find fossilized marine life atop mountain peaks around the world and many other proofs. They refuse to accept the evidence of human fossilized footprints along side those of dinosaur footprints in a fossilized riverbed here in Texas, where I live, as evidence that dinosaurs did not die out millions or billions of years before man appeared on the scene. I could present a plethora of other examples as well, that have only one logical conclusion. I would contend that main-stream science is not at all objective and relying upon its very biased theories and faulty conclusions may not be the better part of wisdom.
So let’s get back to the issue at hand. I concur that no religion or religious system has cornered the market on truth. In fact, the propagators of religion are not generally interested in truth or even the “saving of souls” but are rather in it for filthy lucre. They’re really no different than their political counter parts. It’s all about the money.
The Bible puts it this way, they hold the truth in unrighteousness. It also says they have a form of Godliness but deny the power thereof. So it’s like they hold a diamond in their hand and they show it off for all the world to see but they do so for their own nefarious purposes not even realizing what it is that they hold and the skeptics scoff because they can see through their hypocritical farce, so they end up denying the diamond because of the one who is holding it. It’s unfortunate that so many allow themselves to be deceived, both the followers and the naysayers.
So why do the naysayers who consider themselves as having come to a rational conclusion that there is no God and that all there is is the here and now, believe that those who do believe in the creator have come to an irrational conclusion?
The reason, I believe, is because the skeptics see the inconsistencies and down right contradictions that exist within the teachings of those who profess to believe the Bible. Those who believe simply don’t have adequate answers to the apparent contradictions in the Bible and so the skeptics continue in their skepticism. I assure you that there are answers but they will likely not be found within the walls of your local religious assembly.
I’m not going to address those issues here but what I do hope to do is to present some ideas that show why believing in God and his purposes may be quite rational and logical and really have nothing to do with “religion”.
Let’s say, for a moment, that you are God and you have chosen to create some beings and you desire those beings to be reciprocal in the love that you have for them. You have two choices. You can create a being that either has volition and will ultimately fall from the perfection that you created them to be or you can create a being that has no volition and will do exactly has you have programed him to do and be?
Which being, the one with or the one without volition will be capable of love? It is impossible that a being without volition would be capable of love, isn’t that true? So when the skeptic asks why would a God, who is supposed to be love, allow all this misery and evil to exist? How can a good, loving and kind God allow this?
He allows it because he didn’t want to create beings that could not experience or reciprocate love. Again, I ask you, if you were the creator would you want to create a being that has no volition and just does exactly what you programmed them to do? No volition equals no love. I think you can see it is the only rational, logical option.
Now let’s suppose that all is going along and you have created these beings who love and serve you and share in your glory until one day one of these beings, a being in whom you have bestowed the greatest beauty and with whom you have given the abitlity to reflect your own glory, decides that he no longer wants to reflect your glory and share it but rather he wants the glory all for himself and therefore pronounces that he will be as the most high God (pride enters) and your entire creation is now corrupted by this single act of rebellion. Where once there was only perfection, there is now the S word – SIN which, is anything that falls short of perfection, God’s standard.
So now what? It’s your creation, you made it and you want it back but you cannot be where sin is and you must therefore leave that which you’ve created. You have a plan. It was already in your mind when you created the Angels, the Cherubim and Seraphim and your throne room – the earth. You will refurbish all that you have made and you will place man, this new being, in the Garden where once you walked and with this inferior being you will reclaim your creation from this usurper and he and the other fallen angels who joined in his rebellion will marvel at their own calamity as the God of creation reclaims the earthly realm and the heavenly realm which were both corrupted by the rebellion.
But what? Once again, this being, created in your own image has failed, being tempted by the usurper. Why? You know why. You created him with volition so that he would have the capacity to love, to receive love and to give love but you knew this when you created him and you had a plan to redeem both him and the earth upon which you placed him. In fact, mankind would be an integral part of your plan to redeem the earth.
So time goes on and at a point in time you chose a people, the seed of a righteous man, a man who believed God, to be the ones to carry your message of redemption to the people of the earth. A message that though sin had separated them from God there would be a redeemer. One, who by his sacrifice, would reconcile the world to God. Yes, by judicial decree the perfect One would make payment for the failure of mankind to live up to the standard of perfection that, perfection demands and only perfection could pay such a price and so you being perfect become as one of those whom you’ve created in order to satisfy your perfect justice and this is what love demands and it is therefore the only rational way to redeem that which was lost.
Unfortunately, this seed, by and large rejected your Sacrificial gift of the Righteous One but for a few lost lambs that you gathered from the herd and so you decided to temporarily hold your plan for them and the earth in abeyance. This was not an oversight on your part of course, as you had a secret plan to redeem the heavenly realm as well and it was now time to implement that plan which you kept hid in yourself from the foundation of the earth.
You revealed this plan to a man who was a most unlikely candidate, as was your practice, choosing unfit, unlikely vessels to carry out your plan. This man Saul was a man who vociferously opposed those who followed your Righteous One. Even to the point of murder and yet when you revealed yourself to him he believed and willingly accepted his mission to be the minister of this mystery which you had kept hidden, this plan to have a people who would rule the heavens which you would also redeem.
But there’s a problem. Many are misled by ministers of righteousness, who hold the truth in unrighteousness and try to convince those, whose citizenship is in heaven, who are to be given charge to judge angels, that they are a part of your plan to redeem the earth and that the seed’s failure caused you (God) to take the place of Israel and your plan for them. Even though your written instructions are clearly addressed to the appropriate parties they, by the slight of hand of these ministers of righteousness, so called, have been blinded by their own desire for the material blessings promised to the Seed. (to be continued….)